Jets Select John Idzik General Manager and Marty Mornhinweg as Offensive Coordinator

By BEN SHPIGEL

January 19, 2013

The Jets’ roster lacks quality and depth. There is disarray at quarterback. Their salary-cap situation is daunting.

On Friday, they hired two men to help them deal with those problems. An extensive 19-day search ended when the Jets selected John Idzik, formerly the vice president for football administration for the Seattle Seahawks, as their general manager.

In a move that may carry risks, the Jets selected a candidate thoroughly experienced in salary-cap management and contract negotiations — much like his predecessor, Mike Tannenbaum — and not player evaluation and scouting. Idzik, 52, emerged from a field of 10 interviewed contenders, including former general managers, current personnel executives and administrators on the business side.

Idzik’s arrival came on the same day Coach Rex Ryan made the most critical decision of his tenure, choosing Marty Mornhinweg, who spent the previous 10 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, as the team’s offensive coordinator. The Jets, who went 6-10 this season, lost nine members of their coaching staff in the last three weeks.

Just as Ryan will be judged for how Mornhinweg, his third offensive coordinator in three seasons, fares in implementing his desire for an unpredictable and attacking offense, Idzik will be evaluated for his attempt to resolve the Jets’ quarterback quandary. He will decide the fate of Mark Sanchez, whose prohibitive contract — $8.25 million guaranteed — increases the possibility that he will remain with the team in some capacity for 2013, and of Tim Tebow, who is all but certain to be traded or released.

Idzik will also need to revamp an offense devoid of playmakers and dismantle, then rebuild, a roster in a salary-cap crunch: the Jets are roughly $20 million over the projected salary cap of $121 million.

It will be Mornhinweg’s responsibility to mold that new offensive talent into a cohesive, productive group. Mornhinweg’s hiring is the clearest signal yet that the Jets will adjust their philosophy, shifting from the so-called ground-and-pound to a more West Coast-style passing offense — shorter, horizontal routes — that produced four of the top five scoring seasons in Eagles history. His familiarity with Michael Vick may fuel speculation that, after Vick’s expected departure from Philadelphia, he could find a home with the Jets, although it is unclear why they would want essentially an amalgamation of Sanchez and Tebow: a left-handed, turnover-prone quarterback.

Idzik, who has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Dartmouth and a master’s degree in liberal studies from Duke, has spent the last 20 seasons in the N.F.L. — 11 with Tampa Bay, 3 with Arizona and 6 in Seattle, where his responsibilities included contract negotiations, salary-cap compliance and football operations budgeting. Idzik, who will report directly to the team owner Woody Johnson, will also work closely with Ryan, who had significant input on roster construction under Tannenbaum. Johnson has guaranteed Ryan’s return for 2013.

Despite Johnson’s recent assertion that Ryan is the “perfect” coach for the Jets, his status could be endangered if Idzik, after next season, feels differently.

As reflected by the first wave of candidates in the search led by Jed Hughes of the recruiting firm Korn/Ferry, the Jets were initially interested in finding someone with experience in player personnel. They considered two candidates who accepted general manager positions elsewhere — David Caldwell (Jacksonville) and Tom Telesco (San Diego) — and it was only after they expanded their pursuit, about 10 days ago, that Idzik emerged as an option. He interviewed last week and again Wednesday before being offered the position.

Only one other candidate — Omar Khan, the director of business and football administration for Pittsburgh — had a second interview.

In a statement, Johnson said Idzik’s experience working with coaches like Pete Carroll, Tony Dungy and Mike Holmgren was an asset. “John has seen firsthand what’s necessary to construct a winning team,” Johnson, said, adding, “Drawing on 20 years of N.F.L. experience, John, working with Rex, will get the Jets where all of us want to be.”

Mornhinweg, who emerged from a group of candidates that also included the New Orleans quarterback coach Joe Lombardi and the former Browns coach Pat Shurmur, has spent the last 18 seasons in the N.F.L. — 16 on offensive staffs and 2, in 2001 and 2002, as the Detroit Lions’ head coach.